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Friday, June 11, 2010

Apple Strudel

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...The ghosts with whom I share my kitchen are restless tonight. I took a short cut and made a strudel that bares no resemblance to the one they taught me to make all those years ago. I could argue that this pastry is difficult to make. That is true. Experts demand that the dough be stretched so thin a newspaper can be read through it. That is also true. My excuse tonight is that I had no one to help me stretch the dough. That led me to take a short cut, and, for my efforts, end up with a pastry that bares little resemblance to the "real" strudel I wanted to make. I could have gone with puff pastry, but I decided instead to use filo to form the skin of my strudel. The crackly crispness of the filo leaves appealed to me. That's where my plan went wrong. The filo sheets are so fine that that they can't handle the juices released by the fruit as it cooks. The pastry becomes water logged and most unappealing. I hasten to add that I love filo, I just don't love it for this application. I used an apple filling that I've made since childhood and I had no problem with that, but I do want to warn you that if you like cooked fruit it would be best to saute the apples before rolling them in pastry. This just doesn't bake long enough to do anything but soften the fruit. I also had difficulty getting the filo to brown. The best I could come up with was pale blond and I was really looking for a deep golden brown roll. My results were middling at best because the component parts did not work well together. If any of you plan to make strudel using anything but classic techniques, I'd advise using puff pastry instead of filo. The recipe, save for the "skin" remains the same. This makes a pleasant dessert served straight from the oven, but it does not keep well. It's best I keep the adjectives to myself. I will not make this again. Here's the recipe I used.

Ingredients:1 sleeve thawed filo dough1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted4 cups apples, cut in 1/2-inch dice3/4 cup granulated sugar1 tablespoon ground cinnamonJuice and zest of 1 lemon1 cup raisins1 cup toasted finely chopped walnuts1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, siftedDirections:1) Melt butter in microwave or stovetop in a small pan. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.2) Combine apples, sugar, cinnamon and lemon juice and zest in a medium bowl. Toss well to distribute sugar and spices. Let sit for 30 minutes.3) Unroll defrosted filo dough. Remove one sheet and place it on a pastry board. Cover stacked filo with a damp towel of plastic wrap. Brush sheet of filo with melted butter. Repeat with at least 4 more layers. You may use up to 10 sheets. Do not cover the last sheet with butter. Sprinkle surface of dough with walnuts. Drain apples and squeeze out juices that have accumulated. This is done to prevent filo from getting soggy. Scatter apples and raisins over filo stack, leaving 1-inch uncovered on all sides. Turn in edges of dough. Starting at short end loosely roll filo. Roll so seam is at bottom of roll when end of dough is reached. Transfer to an ungreased baking sheet. Brush top and sides of roll with remaining butter.4) Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes and check for progress. How long it will take to bake strudel depends on how many sheets of filo and what kind of fruit you used. Strudel should be golden brown. If it’s not done at 15 minutes increase baking time.5) When done, take strudel out of the oven and immediately cut it into 6 – 8 slices with a serrated knife. Separate slices so that steam from hot fruit can escape. Strudel will become soggy if not sliced immediately. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired. Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

My mama used to talk with great fondness of her mama's homemade strudel and how it would have to be stretched very, very thin across the dining room table. I could not imagine! My grandma passed when I was a little girl, and mama said she had tried to make it but it wasn't the same. Sadly, I never had the chance to experience an authentic strudel and have never dared to attempt it myself!

The pickles you were asking about today - so far as I am aware they should be refrigerated. We always have!

Mary, I tried the same thing some years back. The time required for strudel dough and having 6 children just didn't equate! All I can say is yours turned out better than mine- filo dough really didn't work for me at all. I will try your filling recipe though as I'm quite sure it's delicious@!xoxo Pattie

This is why I don't bake. It looks lovely to me, but I hate that you are disappointed. I was about to try some filo cups filled with some peach pie filling that I don't even remember making and freezing, but now I'm not sure. I don't know enough about baking to know what works and what doesn't!

I love every bit of it! I used filo on this before but make sure the apple is cooked before wrapping them along, to reduce water output! I bet yours is as scrumptious. Have a nice weekend!Blessings, Kristy

I've done strudel the "right" way with my Hungarian friend. It was a process she was quite adept at and I felt I would never become adept at--ever. I've found that with the filo, in addition to leaking, it doesn't stay crisp so it has to be eaten immediately (not necessarily a bad thing). I've never tried it with the puff pastry. I think I will.

I can smell this baking all the way from your kitchen :-) Apples are one of my favorite things to bake with because I love the aroma!! I have always wanted to make homemade filo dough, but just the thought makes me cringe!

I would have thought that filo dough would work perfectly, but sometimes recipes just don't go the way we want them to. I've never tried making true strudel dough and will probably stick with puff pastry.

This looks so delish......I'm for sure going to make this recipe, it looks so good and I always have filo on hand in my freezer. Strudel was my dad's fav. dessert.Thanks for sharing another winner. .....have a great weekend!

Oh but it does look beautiful! I've been dying to make a homemade strudel or filo dough but I think unless I have someone to really show me, I must use a homemade puff pastry instead. I think I can pull that one off. My hubby's Polish grandma used to make apple strudels...

It's been a while since I made strudel Mary, and yes, I too used filo dough. I seem to remember sprinkling the individual sheets with fine bread crumbs after I brushed them with butter. Am I confusing recipes or might this be a solution for the juices getting the dough too soggy?

Mary - Your strudel may not have turned out the way you wanted, but the picture sure looks delicious. My favorite strudel dough is more of a cake-y type dough and I've got a couple of recipes for it on my blog - one given to me by a woman working at one of the alpine restaurants at our favorite ski mountain in the Dolomites.

Mary - I'm so sorry you were disappointed. I'm suffering it too with a samosa pie I made last nigth. GRRR. I've made strudel with phyllo in the past and as Joe also said, I used fine dry breadcrumbs between the layers - and yes, if making it with apples they need to be sauteed (caramelized) first. Don't give up - it's a great idea!

Mary, just this morning when I opened my fridge...I noticed a few apples that needed attention. I was thinking of making my ridiculously easy apple cake. Now...your strudel made me re-evaluate my idea. Or maybe I can make both ;o)Thanks for inspiring a possible shift in my baking.Flavourful wishes and have a nice weekend. Claudia

Even though phyllo is not idea for this pastry I would try to make it with it because I dont always want to bother making my own strudel dough; maybe if it was made in individual portions instead the phyllo would have browned more? at any rate, I am sure it tasted delicious.

Oh, you make me laugh, Mary! I can just picture you fussing and fuming in the kitchen holding back the words you didn't share with us. :-) Puff pastry sounds like an excellent substitute to make this dessert perfect. :-)

You are too funny, Mary. I love strudel but have never made it because of the difficulty of the dough. Glad you tried the filo before I did! Back to the old drawing board! But I love your filling! Delicious! (having a hard time imagining you using "those" words!)

Bummer that it didn't work out for you. Funny, I just thawed a roll of fillo dough out today. Haven't decided what to do with it. We move in a week and a half and there's still another pack with two more rolls in the freezer. Hmmm? No apple filling it is, thanks. ;)

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